The treatment of hyposmia with intranasal steroids.

Hyposmia is a neglected symptom in patients with rhinitis. We studied 25 patients presenting with perennial rhinitis. Fifteen patients expressed hyposmia as a significant symptom. University of Pennsylvania smell identification test (UPSIT) and visual analogue scales (VAS) were used to score the symptoms of hyposmia, nasal obstruction and nasal discharge before and after six weeks treatment with betamethasone sodium phosphate drops. Those patients with initial symptoms of hyposmia significantly improved their UPSIT scores (p = 0.00009) and their VAS scores for hyposmia (p = 0.00133). Despite a significant decrease in the sensation of nasal obstruction, the non-hyposmics showed no increase in UPSIT scores after betamethasone therapy. There was no clear correlation between UPSIT results and other symptom scores. The judicious use of betamethasone drops in the treatment of rhinogenic hyposmia can be recommended.

Temporal bone dissection for display.

Increasing concern with medicolegal issues has heightened the need for surgical simulation in training. Familiarity with the surgical anatomy of the temporal bone is essential for effective and safe otological surgery. Refinement of surgical technique and intimate knowledge of temporal bone anatomy can be gained by accurate dissection. The products of such endeavours are both illustrative and instructive. The issues, methods and techniques necessary for display of anatomical dissections are discussed.

Treatment of post-traumatic external nasal neuralgia.

Pain about the bridge of the nose is often a diagnostic dilemma. There is a small but important recognizable subgroup who may, as a consequence of involvement of the external nasal nerve in nasal injury, exhibit neuralgic pain after a latent interval. Temporary relief by local anaesthesia is diagnostic and cure is possible by division of the anterior ethmoidal nerve. We present a series of six cases to illustrate this rare cause of facial pain.

Tegmental dehiscence and brain herniation into the middle ear cleft.

The tegmen tympani may occasionally be breached by herniation of the temporal lobe with or without dural cover. The clinical presentation may be obvious with CSF otorrhoea but less so with apparent middle ear effusion, CSF rhinnorrhoea, conductive hearing loss, recurrent meningitis or intracranial sepsis. Diagnosis requires suspicion of the condition, which may be aided by radiological imaging. Surgical repair is to be recommended: various techniques are available but bone enveloped by fascia placed by subtemporal approach is preferred. The features of this problem are highlighted by four cases.

Post-traumatic external nasal neuralgia--an often missed cause of facial pain?

Pain about the bridge of the nose is often a diagnostic dilemma. There is an important recognizable subgroup who may, as a consequence of involvement of the external nasal nerve in nasal injury, exhibit neuralgic pain after a latent interval. Temporary relief by anaesthesia can be achieved and cure is possible by division of the anterior ethmoidal nerve. This rare cause of facial pain is presented using two illustrative cases.

'Two-stage turbinectomy': sequestration of the inferior turbinate following submucosal diathermy.

Submucous diathermy of the inferior turbinates is a widely practised procedure. Three cases are presented in which surgery was complicated by avascular necrosis of the turbinate bone. Each patient required a debridement procedure before healing and recovery of normal mucociliary function could take place.

Uses and complications of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.

Uvulopalatopharygoplasty has become widely performed for chronic snoring and for cases of obstructive sleep apnoea. Unfortunately this operation is not without morbidity and complications. We report our results of a prospective series of 50 patients undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with a minimum follow-up of one year. Snoring was abolished in 18 (36 per cent) and substantially reduced in the remainder. Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, identified in 11 patients pre-operatively, was reduced in severity in all but three. Troublesome complications were seen in 18 (36 per cent) patients, namely intermittent velopharyngeal incompetence in five (10 per cent), pharyngeal dryness in 11 (22 per cent) and loss of taste in five (10 per cent). One patient had nasopharyngeal stenosis requiring correction. A cautious approach to this operation is required with rigorous case selection. The importance of full assessment and careful follow-up should not be underestimated.

Assessment of chronic snorers.

Snorers represent a heterogenous group that require adequate assessment before recommending surgical treatment. There are unfortunately no specific features either in the history or physical examination that might predict those chronic snorers with obstructive sleep apnoea. We have used trained observation together with pulse oximetry ('sleep screening') and fibreoptic nasendoscopy with Muller manoeuvre in our unit to assess snorers. This combination is a reliable means of distinguishing apnoeic patients from simple snorers and determining the level of the obstructing segment. We report our experience in using these methods in the management of 71 chronic snorers. We stress the value of conservative management, and emphasize that obesity, habitual alcohol ingestion and nasal obstruction should be corrected before embarking on pharyngeal surgery.

The lingual tonsil. A neglected symptomatic structure?

Surgical treatment of the lingual tonsil is seldom performed because problems attributable to chronic lingual tonsillar hypertrophy are infrequently diagnosed. We have reviewed a series of 25 patients with symptoms from enlarged lingual tonsils. The variety of presentation of lingual tonsillar lesions and the methods of surgical treatment are discussed.

Carcinoma of the ear: retrospective analysis of 61 patients.

Malignant tumours of the ear canal and middle ear retain a poor prognosis despite the development of increasingly radical procedures. We report the combined experience of 61 patients presenting to our hospital over the past 30 years with this condition. Radiotherapy was the preferred initial treatment in almost all patients. Early surgical treatment by local resection just before or just after radiotherapy and radical mastoidectomy produced disease free survival for two to 20 years in 59 per cent (16 of 27) patients. Long term survival was achieved in 50 per cent of patients with carcinoma of the external auditory meatus and only 24 per cent of those with middle ear carcinoma. Salvage surgery produced a variable degree and duration of palliation but few survivors. Little was gained in the quality of life by petrosectomy.

Snoring as a presenting feature of the Shy-Drager syndrome.

A 67-year-old man with a progressive snoring habit is presented. Fluctuant bilateral abductor vocal cord paralysis was later recognized together with autonomic features suggesting a diagnosis of Shy-Drager syndrome. Snoring as a presenting feature of this condition has been infrequently described. This case highlights the importance of careful assessment of snorers.